State Theatre Company South Australia. Dunstan Playhouse. 25 Aug 2026
Melbourne-based playwright Ash Flanders cofounded Sisters Grimm theatre company in 2006. They “created a unique style of queer experimental theatre” with productions at Malthouse, Melbourne Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre Company and Belvoir. Flanders’ career continued as a solo writer/performer, filmmaker, and now in television - check out Dog Park on the ABC. His “black comedy,” Commentary, is one of two works birthed in-residence with the Athenaeum Group.
Commentary is the ninety-minute unravelling of character Nick Atkinson. Nick is an arts lecturer and student teacher at Flinders (lots of local name calling in gratitude for State producing the world premiere, I posit). He made a film twenty years ago, it was forgotten, and the Adelaide Film Festival is resurrecting it. The film was brilliant in Berlin, but toxic in Australia. Why? A whole bunch of characters in Nick’s life each contribute a colourful strand of light—their version of why—that passes through the prism of the play and converges into the glaring white light of, well, what probably happened. And that white light shines on Nick’s head like the glare of a single bulb in the torturer’s chamber.
Flanders has axe to grind about how artists are received in today’s plethora of media. And that of course is commentary. A bot named tasteray.com wrote a whole essay on modern commentary in which it said “even casual viewers now expect more than just a plot summary - they want context, critique and cultural resonance” in a world where a blogger can break you. And here I am, quoting a robot. Some would say it’s the democratisation of opinion. Flanders’ Nick says leave the film making to the filmmaker and just watch the film.
You don’t need to get involved with all this debate about opinion-making to enjoy the play. Under Petra Kalive’s staccato direction with the design team comprising Matilda Woodroofe (Lighting Design), Nic Mollison (Composer), Dan Thorpe (Sound and Video Designer) and Matt Byrne (Video Content), this is a splendid specimen of how modern theatre techniques are creating a wonderfully complex multimedia experience. But let’s start with terrific acting. Kate Cheel is priceless as an Aussie made-good in LA. Her TV prima donna in the makeup room is prime time watching. Gyton Grantley’s Nick was equally appealing, loveable and flawed. Grantley invited us to see his Nick lying to himself and everybody else yet make us feel sorry for him being lied to. Anna Steen and Shardae Santos, like Cheel have multiple roles in which they excel.
The creative team suavely utilise on-stage video techniques that Adelaide audiences first saw in Sydney Theatre’s production of The Picture of Dorian Gray in the 2022 festival.
You see, Nick has a nemesis. He made his film 20 years ago with Hamish who was a drug addict and acknowledged creative genius and who disappeared after the film was made. Nick is the steady hand, the director, the guy who actually got the film made. Hamish is the bad guy, right? Why is everyone bringing him up? We will see. We’ll see what this white light over Nick’s head reveals. Nick is a victim of his own bad karma.
There was one sentence near the very end of the play, spoken under Nick’s breath while in a drunken stupor, that can easily go unnoticed. Suddenly, everything becomes very clear indeed.
I’m never the first one to rise to my feet, but I was amazed that this brilliant world premiere didn’t get a standing ovation on opened night. Playwright Ash Flanders says in his program notes, “Audiences can be vicious.”
Double bravo!
PS if you want to read the whole bot essay here it is: tasteray.com
David Grybowski
When: 21 Aug to 5 Sep
Where: Dunstan Playhouse
Bookings: statetheatrecompany.com.au
